


Of exclamatives and dumb captains

by BlueNobody



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 18:31:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18878839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueNobody/pseuds/BlueNobody
Summary: In which Roxas gets tasked to catch dinner and Axel finally does something (although it's really Roxas).





	Of exclamatives and dumb captains

**Author's Note:**

> Seems I got dialogue syndrome. I was supposed to be writing my final paper, but instead I wrote a pirates au akuroku out of seemingly nowhere. I snuck in as many silly sea exclamations as I could without feeling I overdid it.  
> Warning: lots of apostrophes. I think I defaulted on the southern drawl I’m used to and not pirate speak, but if you hate lots of ‘ in your dialect, run.

“Kelp eating sea pup,” the Captain crows as he calls out to Roxas, “I’m hungry for supper. Go ahead and take dinner duty tonight.” 

“Aye, aye,” Roxas calls as he sways his way towards the supply bay below deck. He pays no mind to the clinking of Xigbar and Luxord betting chips nor Larxene’s running snide commentary. He unties the rods from atop some boxes before positioning the boxes back. He finally pays mind as Larxene exclaims behind him. 

“Cap’n finally get sick of ya and forcin’ you on dinner duty?”

Instead of rising to her, he simply asks, “You seen the bait anywhere Larxene?”

She sneers at him, “No, but I’d bet Demyx tried to free ‘em again. Somethin’ dumb ‘bout the value of life and those big ole eyes lookin up at ‘im.”

“Damn it, Demyx,” Roxas sighs out, “you see where he was last at least?”

“Probably stealin’ food off Sora,” Larxene replies. 

Roxas waves his hand in a half hearted farewell and truds up to the deck with two rods under his arms. He moves to the side quickly narrowly avoiding ramming into Riku. Riku being one of the more helpful (though more unbearable) crew members murmurs, “You need any help with that?”

Roxas withholds a sneer and instead replies, “No need Riku. Where’s the leech?”

Riku narrows his eyes, “I really wish you’d stop calling him that.”

“Ah, but you recognize who I’m talkin’ about.” 

“Only ‘cause you’ve been callin’ him that the ever since the run in with the flesh melting squids two months ago.” 

“Not the point. You know where he is? Queen Bitch thinks Demyx threw the bait again.”

“Again? Damn, you’d a thought cap’n would’ve gotten onto ‘im by now.” Riku rubs at his neck and narrows his eyes at Roxas’ unwarranted hostility, “Sora said he’d be workin the canons today.” He’d let it go today, but Riku swore he’d figure out why Roxas hated him eventually. 

“Thanks Riku.” Riku nods goodbye and creaks down the stairs Roxas just came up. From below, he can hear the clatter of Xigbar and Luxord fighting and Larxene exclaiming her greetings. Roxas stops paying it mind and works his way to the canons.

He sees Sora across the deck and just as Larxene supposed Demyx is leaning over and taking paopu fruit when Sora averts his gaze. He’s just about to call out to them when his dreaded cap’n blocks his view. He suppresses the sigh and prepares himself for the inevitable. 

Cap’n leans towards him and Roxas stops himself from coughing. His captain smells of the thickest smoke, blocking and suffocating. Cap’n notices the struggle immediately and a wide leer breaks across his face. 

“Now Roxas,” he drawls, “what’s takin’ you so long? I’d a thought you of anyone could handle such a simple task.”

“I would’ve already been on it, but the baits gone missing again. I was gonna check with Demyx.”

Even though his head is bowed, his cap’n towers above him. He’s all smoke and flames. Tall and billowing. With mirth burning in his eyes, the cap’n finally backs up and salty air once again refills his lungs.

“I’ll leave it to ya then.” Despite that he doesn’t move, blocking the path towards Demyx. He stares evenly back into the blue. After another tick of intense staring, he cocks his brow. 

“Um cap’n.”

“Yeah Rox?”

“You’re blockin’ my way.” At once, cap’n flits back to reality and moves to the side. Would Roxas have looked back he would’ve seen the flush take over the cap’ns face or the obvious lingering gaze behind him, but he didn’t look back and he didn’t notice. 

Sora sees him approaches and flashes him a luminescent smile. “Hey Roxas, You comin’ over to help me?”

“Sorry Sora, I already got assigned to dinner.”

“Huh, doesn’t cap give Demyx that job?”

“That’s what I thought as well, but you know the cap’n an’ his whims. That or he got sick of Demyx always hidin’ the bait.”

“I hope he doesn’t overhear you keep talkin’ ‘bout him like that.”

“You know he doesn’t give an urchins spine.”

“Fair, but you really push it sometimes Rox.”

Demyx finally deciding to avert attention from his stolen snack joins in, “You know cap’ns got a weak spot for Roxas, he doesn’ needa mind his tongue like the rest of us.”

“I don’t know what you’ve swallowed this time, but cap’n treats me like everyone else.” 

Sora snorts.

“What’re you laughin’ about; I don’t get special treatment. Anyways, I didn’t come over for this. Demyx, what’d you do to the bait?”

Demyx’s laughter halts and he gives Roxas an overbearingly innocent smile. “Soras right, cap’n treats you real special, Rox,” he tries. Roxas just glares. “Ok, ok, but they’re just so small and I hate them livin’ their lives in such small buckets. I mean have you seen how small they are. And, and, their eyes. I swear you can see the little wheels a spinnin’ in their minds. I just y’know ca-.” 

“I don’t care. Where’d you hide ‘em this time?”

“I don’t wanna give ‘em up,” Demyx bemoans. 

“Oh, so you don’t want to eat tonight. Or better yet the next week. Hell, why don’t we go all out and just starve? But at least those big eyed lil’ fishes got to breathe another day.”

Sora, already seeing Demyx’s eyes misting over, interjects, “I get where you’re commin’ from, but do you gotta be so harsh, Rox?”

“I wouldn’t be so harsh if cap’n wasn’t breathin’ down my neck all day, and Demyx over ‘ere has done this four times already this month.” Roxas takes in Demyx’s expression and continues on slightly softer this time, “At least he learned to not throw ‘em over this time.” With Demyx’s lack of response, Roxas pauses and narrows his eyes, “You didn’t throw ‘em over right?” 

Demyx sighs and gets off the box. Without looking back, he walks towards a cluster of barrels. He pushes open the cover and there, swimming along merrily, is the bait. Roxas leans forward and Demyx lets out a little whine. Roxas sighs, “Demyx, I don’t mean to upset you, and I know for some unknown reason you’ve become attached to the little buggers.” 

At his soft tone, Demyx’s face splits into careful hope. “As long as you don’t mention it to anyone else, I’ll close my eyes and let you somehow slip your favorite away. Only your favorite you hear me.”

Demyx grins wide, “Thank you. I knew you were a good guy behind all that grump.”

“Watch it before I change my mind.”

Demyx scurries forward and quickly scoops up a motley colored fish. He plops the little thing into a smaller water container, sloshing the water.

“Now get on your way before the cap’n checks up on me.”

As he slips away, Demyx remarks, “Cap’n really is soft for you, Rox. I don’t get what you find so wrong with that.”

Roxas growls. He almost chases after him to sell him out., but decides to just let him go. Now that he has a pet maybe Demyx will finally let off on stealing the bait. Low chance, but by black beards coat can’t a man hope? 

He drags the barrel of bait along the deck towards the edge. He then goes back to where he had dropped the rods near Sora, but stops slightly out of sight as he hears the cap’n and Sora quietly talking. 

He’s first able to make out Sora’s voice, “You know there’s a really good chance he won’t reject you. An’ even if he did it’s not like he’d run or ignore you. You being the cap an’ all.” 

“I don’t want his attention just ‘cause I’m captain. It seems so underhanded to use it on him.”

Now that Roxas didn’t expect. Never had his cap’n expressed distaste at underhanded ways. You don’t get to lead a band of pirates through these nasty waters without getting your hands drenched in the soot of it all. Yet the unmistakable guttural was his cap’ns. 

“Well, if that’s not enough to give you courage to tell him, I don’t know what I could possibly convince you with.”

“I don’t want to tell him. I just- Well, by davys locker, I’m not sure what my intentions were coming to you.”

“You don’t want to hear this, but as a friend and not a crewmate, you should tell him, Axel. He’s denser than the kelp in mermaids cove and you’ll never get anywhere unless you spell it out for him.” 

“Who says I want to get anywhere with him?”

Sora just stares at him disbelieving, “If it were anyone except him, he’d of known the first day you even had an inkling. You may be a cheat and a liar, but you’ve never been good at hiding infatuation.” 

Infatuation? The cap’n? The words belonged on opposite ends of the spectrum and Roxas couldn’t comprehend what he overheard. Who could the cap’n, his cap’n, possibly love? Hell, to like someone would be news to him. As long as he’s been part of the crew, cap’n had never taken an interest to the port wenches or in anyone they’ve come across. He was so intent on the new revelation he hadn’t noticed the silence. He had yet to come back when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. 

“Hey Rox, you been here long?” Green, greener than the sirens that tempt in the night, eyes gaze into Roxas. The words get jumbled in his brain and all he can do is surrender to the siren before him. “Roxas, are you alright?” he pushes. 

“Huh, oh, sorry I guess I sorta conched out there,” Roxas turns his eyes away quickly. A flush quickly envelops his face as he finally recognizes what he had been thinking. Cap’n stares at him a bit funny and he removes his hand from Roxas’ shoulder. 

“You sure you’re alright? I don’t know how long you’ve been there, but you were zoning out pretty hard,” he pauses, “You didn’t happen to hear anything recently that made you like this?” 

Roxas prays all his years of pirating will aid him as he responds, “No, I was just thinking about the best place to throw the line today.” Cap’n seems to accept this answer and the slight tension he’d been holding relaxed. 

“Zexion’s been navigating all day, but he could probably give you a good starting place.”

Roxas nods his head and begins to head off in Zexion’s direction. As stupid as it may be he turns back to cap’n and asks, “You have anywhere to be cap’n?” 

“No, why?”

“You want to fish with me?” He’s notably taken aback for a split second by Roxas’ request, but he quickly works himself back into a wide grin. 

“Alright.” Cap’n joins his side and takes a rod out of his hands. They both steer towards navigation. They find Zexion hunched over a table drenched in maps and flicking his eyes frequently to a compass. 

Cap’n clears his throat, “How’s the currents today?” 

Zexion flits his eyes up before quickly getting back to work, “If you’re fishing, go to the right side of the boat.” 

“Never one to waste time. I’ll be checkin’ back later to plan our course.” 

“Aye, cap’n.” 

They’ve shut the door and Cap’n turns to Roxas, “You heard the man. Get a movin’.” 

They set up the rods and cast the lines. The lowering sun glimmers off the water and catches on the bobs of the fishing line. Roxas pretends not to notice Axel glancing over at him. Maybe he knew Roxas overheard him earlier? They settle into comfortable silence and press into each others sides as they’ve done since they were kids. The silence being only interrupted by the splash and struggle of a fish. 

They sit there throwing out lines until the sky’s eyelid closes over its bright eye. 

“I should go check up with Zexion before he plans a coup.” He doesn’t move yet. If he could, he doubted he ever would, but he really didn’t doubt Zexion would repay his negligence. 

“Before you do, I, uh, overheard you earlier,” Roxas isn’t looking directly at him now. 

“You,” is all he’s able to get out. Did Roxas know? He’s lasted this long and when he finally talks to someone it backfires. Damn his luck to the coral reefs. 

“I know you’re cap’n n’ all, but I always thought you’d tell me that sorta stuff before Sora,” Roxas finally looks him right in the eyes. He melts in the earnest expression. He doesn’t know whether to rejoice that Roxas still doesn’t know or to throw himself to the sharks ‘cause Roxas thinks he doesn’t trust him. 

“Roxas, it’s not like that. You know I come to you before everyone. I just,” how can he say this without giving himself away, “I just.” He has to lie. Every ounce of pirate in him is pushing for him to lie. But Roxas always defied that in him. They grew up together. Roxas had his back and could’ve easily taken position as captain. He could get away with anything or call him anything, but Roxas worked for the sake of the ship. And for the sake of the ship he worked under his captain like the others. 

And now Roxas looks up at him. Fearing he was losing what he had given everything to. He would be under his captain, but he didn’t want to lose what they had. Axel couldn’t do that to him. Not to Roxas. Axel covers his face with his hands. 

“Why couldn’t you tell me,” Roxas tries again. At his silence, Roxas puts his hand on his shoulder, “Cap’n, you alright?” 

“Axel,” he murmurs from behind his hands. 

“What?” 

He looks out from behind his fingers, “Call me Axel for a bit, alright?” 

“Odd request, but sure thing Axel.” It’s been months since Roxas has said his name and he warms to hearing it again. Even if he understood the necessity, Axel didn’t have to like Roxas not addressing him by name. “You going to move your hand?” 

He does. He can’t deny Roxas even the small things. 

“What exactly did you hear me tell Sora?” 

“You like someone and don’t wanna tell.” 

At the lack of response he tries again,“I mean, I’m just now wrapping my head around the fact you actually want to be with someone. No offense Axel, but you’ve never shown interest in anyone as far as I could tell.” 

“Wow, way to make a man feel loved,” Axel laughs out. “I guess it’s cause my hearts been caught in a sirens song for the longest time.” 

“And you didn’t say anything?”

“It’s not like I don’t trust you, Rox. You know I’ve always gone to you first. I swear this was the only time.” 

“So who?” 

“What?” Axel stills. He knew it was coming. Hell, a codfish could’ve seen this. That didn’t mean he was ready. 

“So who is it?” Damn Roxas. Damn his eyes. Can’t lie to those. 

“Well, it’s a guy,” he tests the waters. With the lack of disgust from Roxas he continues, “Everyone says he’s a bit dense. He’s got the eyes of a manticore and he’s extremely loyal.” 

“Alright? That’s great n’ all, but I was looking for a name.” 

“Where’s the fun in that?” 

“Axel, we’ve been drawing ourselves in circles for the better half of an hour. Just come out and say it.” 

To hell with it, Roxas is right. “Roxas.” 

“Yes?” 

“It’s, uh, the name.” Roxas’ eyes widen. 

“You’re serious?” Axel is burning. Still tall and billowing, but now his face burns too. His ears shine crimson. 

“Yeah,” he murmurs, “I get if that’s too weird for you. I have no intention to act on it, so please stay in my crew.” 

Things fall into place for Roxas. He really was denser than kelp. How could he have missed it when Axel would dote over him whenever he was injured? Or ignored the long pauses where all Axel would do is stare? Even before they were pirates, Axel was by his side every day and through every scuffle. 

“I’m not goin’ anywhere, idiot. This is my home too. Come here,” he demands. And like always, Axel bends to his will albeit slowly. “What if I liked you too?” 

Axel looks down at him. Roxas couldn’t? He wouldn’t string him along like this, would he? He’d always been an advocate of taking sour news and shoving it straight to the heart before it could fester. 

“Would you do something about it?” Roxas pushes. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I would.” 

“Alright, then I like you.” His heart stops. Roxas, his shipmate and infatuation for years, likes him? 

“Well, go out with me,” Axel blurts out. 

“Sure, no wenches for us.” They’re smiling. Roxas finally moves his hands from Axel’s shoulder and wraps it around his neck. Axel leans forward and presses his lips to Roxas’. 

Roxas responds immediately all the while trying to hold back the massive grin begging to sprawl across his face. Smiling can come round when he’s not mid kiss, he reasons. Axel pulls him into his lap and laps at Roxas’ mouth for permission when both hear loud clapping. Roxas moves to push away, but Axel just follows. 

“They’re watching,” Roxas breathes out between kisses. 

“Mm, so?” Axel murmurs back. “I’ve waited this long. Let them have their show.” 

More of the crew comes round at the clapping and behind them a series of wolf whistles, laughter, and finallys. 

After a few more kisses, Roxas manages to untangle himself from Axel. He turns to see over half the crew and erupts into red. 

“Are you still gonna insist on callin’ him Cap’n?” Demyx hollers out. 

“He better not,” Axel grumbles, and Roxas clips him over the head. He leans away, but at Axels pout he gives him a short kiss. Axel, ever the octopus, wraps his arms around him again, and even if he doesn’t like giving a show, to hell with moving. 

Axel was right; they’d waited long enough.


End file.
